Microsoft has basically said that the desktop on RT was a compromise simply to be able to provide Office and additional system configuration dialogs. As soon as those things are Metro-ized, the desktop will disappear from RT.
Can you please provide a link to this claim? I cannot remember reading anything like that from Microsoft. Other than that i agree, that getting rid of the Desktop would be a mistake. Also Microsoft has no incentive to remove the desktop. It is just there in the code waiting to be compiled for RT.
Dual display mode with Metro on the LCD and desktop on the external display is pretty sweet.
Yup. If a have a monitor nearby i just connect my surface, plugging in a mouse and there i go. Nice feature. And as i mentioned above there really is no incentive to remove the desktop with the dowside that a feature is removed, which many people actually like.
Some people seems to have the idea, that a touch based interface could potentially replace the Desktop maintaining full functionality. I consider this an illusion. An user interface following the touch based paradigm will never be as good for productivity as a native desktop user interface with overlapping windows for keyboard/mouse control. For simple apps, possibly.
I am also convinced, that once Microsoft releases an Office version for modern UI it will offer nowhere close the functionaliy of desktop Office. Somewhat more functionality than Office for Windows Phone? Sure...but that does not mean too much if you know Office for Windows Phone. The same applies to the rumored Office for iPad.
Coincidentally, the people crying loudest to remove the desktop usually do not own a Surface. Microsoft is well advised to listen to their actual users.